🎾 This is causing quite a racket: The Australian Open is live on YouTube … sort of. Due to broadcast rights sold to media companies, live coverage is limited to animated avatars playing on a computer-generated court. It’s less Grand Slam and more Nintendo Wii. Don’t believe me? Check out this hilarious Week 1 recap. Unbelievable.
Sky-high car insurance rates? Blame it on all the tech in our cars
My car insurance just went up 32%. Did I have an accident or get a few tickets? Nope. Across the U.S., the average full-coverage car insurance bill went up 25% last year. In some states, it was closer to 40%. Geez.
The main reason? Today’s high-tech vehicles cost way more to repair. You don’t need to own a high-tech car to feel the pinch, though; it’s hitting everyone.
Driving up costs
Modern cars are packed with dozens of sensors and endless lines of computer code. Combine that with the rising cost of replacement parts and repairs, and voila — soaring auto insurance rates.
No wonder the average collision insurance claim jumped 64% between 2018 and 2022. In 2023, auto insurance rates climbed 20%, the biggest increase since 1976.
The rate increases are slowing a bit, but there’s no telling how tariffs could impact that. About 60% of car parts used in repairs are imported from China.
Let’s look under the hood
In 2018, Toyota redesigned its uber-popular Camry. The number of parts in the front bumper alone increased from 18 to 43. Most are related to advanced driver-assist features.
The upgrades also mean a front-end collision repair is 43% more expensive. It’s not just driver-assist jacking up costs.
- Many new cars have LED headlights, which cost around five times more than halogen lights to replace.
- New cars contain more aluminum. Compared to steel, aluminum is lighter, provides better gas mileage and offers more protection in a crash, but it’s harder to fix and more expensive.
- EVs take 20 days on average to repair. That’s 40% longer than traditional vehicles and $500 more expensive for labor.
Smart ways to save
I make it my business to find the best ways to save. Then, I pass them along to you. Let’s do this.
Quick tech cleanup: Do this every 3 months
When was the last time you cleaned up your digital life? It’s not fun, but just a few minutes of physical and digital decluttering can work wonders. It boosts productivity, clears mental clutter and leaves you feeling like you’ve done something great. Ready? Let’s do this!
Scan the action: Here’s a cool trick for when you’re streaming sports on a computer. Use Google Lens on a player’s face or jersey for instant stats. Open Chrome, click the three dots for the Menu and choose Search with Google Lens. Click or drag on the page to see results on the right panel.
The government stores retirement records in a cave
Where are the computers? Believe it or not, federal retiree records are still stored underground.
Picture this: DeepSeek says its AI image generator is better than DALL-E 3 and Stable Diffusion. It used 72 million AI images, along with a crapload of real-world data, to train Janus-Pro-7B. I don’t think it’s that great. Try it here on a phone or computer you don’t use all the time. There’s no telling what the Chinese are doing in the background.
Laptop mistake: Working all day with your computer plugged in kills the battery over time. On a Mac, there’s a special setting to turn on if you can’t give up the cord. Go to System Settings > Battery. Next to Battery Health, click the i and enable Optimized Battery Charging. You’ll charge to 80% and then run on wall power.
Two smart troubleshooting shortcuts:
✅ On Windows: Holding down the Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + B forces a GPU reset without restarting your computer. This is useful if your screen freezes or you have graphics glitches.
✅ On a Mac: Pressing Cmd (⌘) + Option + Esc lets you force-quit any frozen application instantly. This shortcut bypasses needing to go through the Apple menu.
Oops: To delete an entire word at a time, hit Ctrl + backspace on a Windows computer. On a Mac, it’s Option + Delete.
📦 Packages ending up at the wrong house? Enter your address in Google Maps to see if it’s marked correctly. Press Suggest an edit (pencil icon) > Wrong address > Fix an address. Move the map to where your house is or type the correct info if you’re on a computer. Tap Submit.
Try this, Samsung pals: Samsung DeX lets you connect your Galaxy phone or tablet to a monitor or TV. Just plug a USB-C to HDMI adapter into your phone and voila: A mini computer! You can connect a mouse and keyboard via Bluetooth, too.
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Borrow software you’ll never buy
Using programs like MS Word, Photoshop, or Final Cut on your computer can get pricey fast. Check out these tips to snag them for free!
🎾 This is causing quite a racket: The Australian Open is live on YouTube … sort of. Due to broadcast rights sold to media companies, live coverage is limited to animated avatars playing on a computer-generated court. It’s less Grand Slam and more Nintendo Wii. Don’t believe me? Check out this hilarious Week 1 recap. Unbelievable.
While you’re at it: Antivirus isn’t just for your computer. Protect your phone and keep it running at its best with my pick, which is only $19 for the first year.
Disney’s employee troubles: A former Disney employee will plead guilty to computer fraud and identity theft. The guy was fired and charged after hacking restaurant menus. He added fake allergy-safe labels to items that contained things like peanuts and dairy, and he snuck in a swastika and references to mass shootings. Jail’s gonna be a whole new world for him.
That’s refreshing: Refresh rates (found in your computer’s display settings) control how things look on your screen. For regular work and browsing, go with 60Hz. For gaming or video editing, try 120Hz or 144Hz. Competitive gamers use 240Hz or higher. Now you know!
Look extra tech-savvy: You’re showing a pal something on your computer and need to switch to a different open program. Instead of using your mouse, use your keyboard. Alt + Tab (Windows) or Cmd + Tab (Mac) will quickly cycle through everything you have open. Smart.
Don’t settle for less: The Horizon IX hearing aids pack two state-of-the-art computer chips for the clearest possible sound, even in busy, loud places. See if you qualify for a 45-day no-risk trial.
January 11th, 2025
Do you own a TP-Link router? Lawmakers are questioning its ties to China. Plus, my chat with Noland Arbaugh, the first Neuralink recipient, on controlling computers with his mind. Also, Meta shuts down millions of scam accounts, and Gen Z brings back retro cameras.
Own a Kindle? Amazon’s Send to Kindle page rocks. Use it to upload a file from your computer to your e-reader, or use the tabs on the right for instructions to email or send just about any other way you can think of.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.